Monday, January 14, 2013

How to Make a Fabric Baby Book

I made this fabric book for my newest niece for Christmas. I think it's so sweet, if I do say so myself.

I was inspired by Amanda Blake Soule's adorable fabric book that she created for her daughter's first birthday, but I had a hard time finding any tutorials online. So I decided to figure it out as I went. I failed in taking good photos of the process, but hopefully a simple step-by-step will suffice. It really was not as hard as I thought it might be, but it was still a challenge since I am definitely a sewing novice. And a little time consuming. I have no idea how Amanda Blake Soule made one in a single night...but I guess I rarely work in a solid block of time, only snippets here and there.

Supplies
-Printable fabric (I purchased mine from Joann's with a coupon. It comes in a package of 8.5" x 11" sheets and I got 100% cotton)
-Quilt batting -I already had some. Depending on my how many pages your book is, I would say to get half a yard...a yard if you want extra.
-Fabric - this is a great project for using up scraps! All of my fabric was from my scrap stash.
-A printer/ computer
-A sewing machine
-Scissors
-Optional embellishments - ribbon, buttons, ric rac, etc.

1. Print photos and any desired text onto printable fabric following instructions on package. You stick it in the printer and print just like normal paper, allow to dry, and then rinse off the back, then dry. I used an assortment of 3 x 5 and 4 x 6 photos.

2. Cut out fabric and batting. I cut mine into 8 1/2" square pieces. Next time, I think I might make it slightly bigger. And I would also cut the back and the cover pieces slightly larger than the rest of the book (half an inch or so). You need two fabric squares and 1 batting square for each "page".

3. Cut out fabric photos/text

4. Iron all photos and fabric so that it's smooth.

5. Lay out all of your fabric and photos so that you can make sure you get the order right and figure out the layout of the book.

6. Sew the photos and text onto their designated fabric squares. I used a zigzag stitch for this.

7. Once you have sewn all the photos onto the fabric, you can begin constructing the pages. Carefully take two fabric pieces that will be the "front and back" of a page and lay them facing each other. (So the photos are on the inside!) Add one batting square on top of the outside of the two pages. Sew around the edge like you are sewing a pillow, leaving a 4-5 inch opening so that you can turn the pages to their right sides. Trim the corners, and then turn right-side out. Sew up the opening, and your page is done!

8. Sew all the pages as directed above.

9. To put the book together, I sewed all the pages together in three spots along the left side (like where a three-ring-binder would be). And then I sewed buttons to cover the spots.